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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · kick · tear · ground · patient · lie · club · court

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. tear — to rip
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. club — for dancing
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. court — for sport
  17. tear — from crying
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. court — of law
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ground — the earth
  22. court — of a king
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. lie — to recline

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com